Republicans Seek Caucus Consensus On Dealing With The Health Law
Developing an Obamacare strategy continues to pose challenges for the GOP, which now controls both chambers of Congress. Also in the news, President Barack Obama reaches out to two Tennessee Republican Senate committee chairmen, and Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, considers fast action on the medical device tax repeal. Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was elected to head the Senate's Special Committee on Aging.
The Hill:
GOP Split Over How To Tackle ObamaCare
Republicans are struggling to reach a consensus on how to deal with ObamaCare now that they control both chambers of Congress for the first time since the law was passed. GOP leaders are under enormous pressure from the grassroots to undo Obama’s signature achievement, but they are also hearing calls to show they can govern in the run-up to 2016, when the party hopes to control the White House as well as the Senate and House. (Ferris, 1/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Key Republican Senators Will Join Obama In Tennessee
The Tennessee senators joining Obama for the Knoxville trip are both newly minted chairmen of Senate committees that will have a major say over the president’s domestic and foreign policy agenda. Potential legislation to change the Affordable Care Act will probably start in Lamar Alexander’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, while any efforts to curtail the president’s foreign policy in the Middle East, Cuba and elsewhere will receive tough scrutiny from Bob Corker’s Foreign Relations Committee. (Memoli, 1/8)
CQ Healthbeat:
Hatch Eyes Medical Device Tax Repeal For Quick Action
Finance Chairman Orrin G. Hatch says he is considering moving some standalone tax measures early in the 114th Congress before acting on a tax overhaul, including repeal of the medical device tax without offsets. The Utah Republican said Thursday the proposal to repeal the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices – a contentious piece of the 2010 health care overhaul – may be the first tax bill to be marked up in Finance. (Ota, 1/8)
The Associated Press:
Collins Assumes Leadership Of Special Committee On Aging
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has served on Special Committee on Aging since 1997. Now she's the chairwoman. The Maine Republican was officially elected to lead the panel on Thursday. Collins says she wants to place special emphasis on Alzheimer's research, saying the nation spends more than $200 billion a year on Alzheimer's care but "less than three-tenths of 1 percent" of that amount is spent on research. (1/9)
